


The Catalyst

by ChibiYoda



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Insecure Bruce, M/M, Science Bros, This Is My Ship and It Has Wrecked Me, Tony discovers a new turn-on, pre-Science Boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-13
Updated: 2014-11-13
Packaged: 2018-02-25 00:06:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2601338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChibiYoda/pseuds/ChibiYoda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce decides to grow a goatee. Tony decides that he likes it very much thank you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Catalyst

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by a Steve/Tony prompt that had asked for Steve to be the goatee grower. But I only think in terms of Bruce/Tony. Which lead me to think about Ruffalo's facial hair. Which lead me to imagine applying that hair to Bruce's face. It pleased me.

"Morning Doc." a cheerful Clint said, as Bruce entered the kitchen.

"Hey! When did you two get back?" Bruce was referring also to Natasha, who was sitting next to Clint at the table.

"Late last night." Clint went on to fill Bruce in on his and Nat's latest excursion. The two chatted as Natasha looked on.

Specifically, she was looking at Bruce. He wasn't sporting his usual slightly wrinkled, lived-in look. His clothes were crisp and well-fitted. Khaki pants, and a buttondown shirt in a shade of purple that reminded her of one she'd seen before. And there was something else.

At the first lull in Bruce and Clint's conversation, she unceremoniously asked "Is that a new shirt?"

Bruce was taken aback at the inquiry, but managed to sputter out a reply. "This? Yeah. Tony bought me several articles of clothing. I repeatedly told him I didn't need them, but he ignored me." He rolled his eyes, and shook his head, in an effort to seem exasperated. "So I thought maybe I'd try out a few things, so as not to hurt his feelings."

"Of course." Natasha said dryly. "And you're growing a goatee." It was more of a statement than a question.

Bruce may have blushed slightly at all of this unwanted attention to his appearance. "Well, I wanted to see how it would look. You know, maybe change things up a bit."

"Maybe trying to be a little more like Tony?" Natasha suggested.

Bruce responded a bit defensively, and slightly quickly. "No!" Geez, he thought. He was surrounded by these beautiful people 24/7. He just wanted to spruce himself up a little. Tony had nothing to do with it. Tony probably wouldn't even notice his clothes or his face. And Bruce wasn't expecting him to. No, he was merely trying not to be an embarrassment to the team. That's all.

Clint decided to change the subject. "So where is Tony anyway?"

Bruce let his train of thought continue on without him. "Actually, he's been in Miami for the past several days, visiting a couple of SI subsidiaries. He's due back..." he paused to look at his watch, "in just a couple of hours."

"Mmm." was Natasha's only acknowledgement.

"I guess I should be getting to work." Bruce smiled awkwardly, snatched a bagel out of a bag on the counter, and left.

 

***

Tony did indeed arrive home a little over two hours later. After dumping his suitcase in his suite, and grabbing some coffee and a bagel, he decided to go and check in on his favorite of his new tower-mates. It had been several weeks since the team had taken up residence in Tony's very own skyscraper. Even though they could annoy the hell out of him at times, inviting them to use some of the empty space around him made the place feel a little more homey. A little like the Island of Misfit Toys, but home nonetheless.

Tony and Bruce had bonded immediately. They both liked each of the other members of the team, but their own relationship was much more intricate. They didn't have to give it any thought. It blossomed on its own. A flower blooming despite their personal weeds. One day they were independent beings, and the next, they coexisted. Where one was, the other usually was not far away. Neither had even realized that they had begun to revolve around each other.

Tony's trip to Miami had been the longest that the two had been separated since the day they met. And when thoughts like 'I wonder what kind of trouble Tony's getting into.', or, 'I hope Bruce didn't fall asleep on his keyboard again.' crept into their minds, they didn't stop to ponder why they were missing the other. It had become a natural response.

 

Bruce was standing over an array of test tubes when he heard the voice behind him.

"Hi there buddy! 'Ya miss me?" Tony was his usual jovial self.

Bruce turned around and smiled. "Welcome home."

Tony stopped dead in his tracks. Something about this picture was off. Bruce was...different. He didn't look so haphazard. Seemed like he was finally embracing the closet full of goodies that Tony had lavished on him. Bruce might never achieve Tony's level of suave, but this was a start.

Then Tony zeroed in on his face. "What's that?" he inquired emotionlessly.

Bruce looked down at his shirt and pants, he didn't see anything amiss. "What?"

"On your face." Tony clarified. Bruce's fingers instinctively began to smooth over the whiskers of his new facial accouterment, causing a flash of warmth in Tony's chest. 

"Oh this..." Bruce fidgeted a little. "Well, my hair grows so fast - my 5 o'clock shadow starts coming in at noon - so I thought I'd try this. You know, one less area to have to shave everyday." He forced a chuckle.

He could hear Bruce talking, but only every other word actually registered with Tony's brain. He blurted out, "I just remembered something." and made a hasty retreat from the scene. 

 

Natasha ran into Tony in the hallway. She noted that he was coming from the direction of Bruce's lab. "Did you say hi to Bruce?"

"Hi?...yes...I did that."

Tony was clearly preoccupied as he continued past Natasha. The faintest of smiles crept onto her face. Children, she thought. And children needed guidance. She detoured toward the lab.

 

Bruce was still staring at the empty space that Tony had just occupied, when Natasha arrived. He hadn't budged since Tony had left so abruptly. For some reason, Bruce was feeling...something. Disappointed? But why? Because Tony barely said hello and then took off? Because he didn't notice that Bruce was wearing some of the items that he'd gifted him with? Because he didn't tease him about the goatee? He teases Bruce about everything else. Maybe he didn't like it, and didn't want to hurt Bruce's feelings. Wait, Tony wouldn't care what Bruce did with his facial hair, or what clothes he wears. Why should he? That's ridiculous. 

If so, then why was Bruce feeling so let down right now?

"Did Tony stop in here?" 

Natasha's inquiry startled him out of his funk. "Uh, yeah. Just a couple of minutes ago, actually."

"I passed him in the hallway, and he seemed very distracted. Did anything happen?" She could see the gears in Bruce's head spinning.

"Not that I'm aware of. He was only here briefly."

Natasha didn't know if Bruce realized that he sounded as dejected as he looked. "Maybe you should go and make sure everything is ok. I mean, since you were the last person to speak with him." she added innocently.

"Oh, if you think so, ok." He looked in the general direction of anywhere. "JARVIS, where did Tony go?"

"Mr. Stark is currently enjoying a beverage at the bar in the master suite." Count on JARVIS to be diplomatic.

Bruce and Natasha exchanged knowing looks before Bruce went on his way. Natasha watched him go, and fervently wished that the two of them would hurry up and open their eyes to the obvious. Dealing with sexually repressed geniuses could be so very tedious.

 

When Bruce stepped off of the elevator, Tony sprang off of his barstool. "Hey buddy...what's up?"

Bruce approached, stopping a few feet away from him. "Well, I was just wondering if anything was wrong. You left the lab so abruptly." He was uneasy, and began absently stroking the hair on his chin.

Oh Christ, Tony thought. Does he have to do that? "No, nothing's wrong." Then he thought better of it. "No, something is wrong." He began to babble. "Hell, I'm just gonna come out and say it, because you're clearly not playing by the rules anymore with this..." he motioned up and down at Bruce's wardrobe, "and especially that..." he pointed at Bruce's face.

Bruce was completely mystified. "What are you talking about?"

Tony sighed, then opened the floodgates. "Look Bruce, I've wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you. And not just your big sexy brain, but all of you. You walk around here all perpetually wrinkled, and your glasses on and off and on again, and that hair - which by the end of the day looks like you either just woke up, or just had really great sex. Do you have any idea what kind of effect that has on a guy?" He looked almost pleadingly to Bruce for acknowledgement.

Bruce just stood there.

"Of course you don't." Tony knew that Bruce had the self-esteem of a shoelace. He needed to spell it out. "You're exceedingly attractive Bruce. And I'm exceedingly attracted to you."

Bruce was processing, but not quite believing. As much as he liked the others, he knew the only reason he decided to stay in New York was Tony. He quite unexpectedly had made a great friend. Bruce was truly enjoying being around Tony. It was a relationship unlike any he'd ever had. He didn't have the desire to run, or the need to be alone. The most important thing in his life had become spending time with Tony.

And maybe once or twice, he entertained a scenario where he and Tony could be more than friends, but he would quickly squash the fantasy. Never in a million years would someone like Tony be interested in Bruce in that way. And that was ok. He was very happy and grateful to have things just as they are. He could live like this forever. But now it seems that Tony had just expressed interest in him. Is that possible? Did he hear him correctly?

Tony studied Bruce's face, but couldn't tell which way this was going to go. He didn't want to make Bruce feel uncomfortable, so he tried to fix the situation. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spring it on you like that. I just needed to get it off my chest. If you're not into me, that's totally fine. I completely understand. We can just forget about..."

Bruce cut him off. He spoke cautiously. "No...I'm ok with it." 

"So...you're alright with me being attracted to you?" Tony wanted to make sure they were both on the same page.

Bruce nodded.

"Does that mean you're attracted to me too?"

Bruce involuntary averted his eyes, but nodded just the same.

Tony smiled broadly. "Well aren't you a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day!"

Bruce wasn't sure where that came from, but ok.

Tony was back in his element now. "Alright then, lets make a proper date. I'll pick you up at your suite at precisely 6 o'clock, and we're going out to dinner."

Bruce's eyes grew wide, but Tony assuaged his fears. "No, no, nothing fancy, no place crowded. Casual and private. Trust me."

Bruce didn't really have a choice, did he? After all, he'd follow Tony anywhere. "Ok...well, I'm just gonna go back to work for a while then." His confession of his feelings for Tony, such that it was, had drained him. His mind was swimming. He needed to recoup in the safety of his lab.

"Of course. Definitely. But, just one more little thing." Tony walked the few steps that had been between him and Bruce this whole time. He slowly raised his hand. "Could I...?" he gestured at Bruce's chin.

Bruce was confused as to why Tony wanted to touch his face, but he gave him the ok.

Tony gently ran his fingers over Bruce's goatee. "Goddamn...that's hot."

**Author's Note:**

> Written in October 2013.


End file.
